How I am preparing to test iOS 26 next week.
iOS 26 will be the biggest makeover since iOS 7, and if you remember those days, the first developer betas were brutal if you used them on your primary device. Our phones have become more and more a 3rd arm that we must have, and it isn’t wise to put any developer beta on your primary device.
At least the first few.
For that reason, I have obtained an iPhone 13 mini as my testing device, which I picked for several reasons:
I wanted to see how well optimized iOS 26 will be on Apple’s smallest screen.
I had an iPhone 12 mini in the past, and this will be a nice flashback to a more comfortable form factor.
The iPhone 13 mini supports FaceID in landscape among other improvements and is only a few bucks more expensive than an iPhone 12 mini.
I still use a physical SIM card, so I needed an iPhone with a physical SIM in case I decide to change primary devices. I flew to Canada to buy a 16 Pro Max last year to get the SIM slot version, so I can easily swap if needed. This way I have an easy out and won’t be stranded without cellular function no matter how unstable my phone is. There’s nothing worse than unstable beta software and trying to port your eSIM out to another phone.
Just a few more days to go!
iOS 26 will be the biggest makeover since iOS 7, and if you remember those days, the first developer betas were brutal if you used them on your primary device. Our phones have become more and more a 3rd arm that we must have, and it isn’t wise to put any developer beta on your primary device.
At least the first few.
For that reason, I have obtained an iPhone 13 mini as my testing device, which I picked for several reasons:
I wanted to see how well optimized iOS 26 will be on Apple’s smallest screen.
I had an iPhone 12 mini in the past, and this will be a nice flashback to a more comfortable form factor.
The iPhone 13 mini supports FaceID in landscape among other improvements and is only a few bucks more expensive than an iPhone 12 mini.
I still use a physical SIM card, so I needed an iPhone with a physical SIM in case I decide to change primary devices. I flew to Canada to buy a 16 Pro Max last year to get the SIM slot version, so I can easily swap if needed. This way I have an easy out and won’t be stranded without cellular function no matter how unstable my phone is. There’s nothing worse than unstable beta software and trying to port your eSIM out to another phone.
Just a few more days to go!
A new era in Apple’s UI imagined.
Great piece by Sebastiaan de With, discussing where Apple’s UI design is potentially headed. A nice trip down memory lane of iOS 6 and its skeuomorphic elements is just pure nostalgia.
I love the finishing touch at the bottom that I think more people should do:
All writing, conceptual UI design and iconography in this post was made by hand by me. No artificial intelligence was used in authoring any of it.
Great piece by Sebastiaan de With, discussing where Apple’s UI design is potentially headed. A nice trip down memory lane of iOS 6 and its skeuomorphic elements is just pure nostalgia.
I love the finishing touch at the bottom that I think more people should do:
All writing, conceptual UI design and iconography in this post was made by hand by me. No artificial intelligence was used in authoring any of it.
Will we get Night Mode as a standard feature in watchOS 26?
Night Mode is a great feature that is limited to two watch faces* on the Apple Watch Ultra models, but it should be a feature available to all Apple Watches on more watch faces.
It arguably classifies as an Accessibility feature since many people would like to preserve their vision at night, and Night Mode is the best way to do it. Currently all iPhones starting with the iPhone XS and later support Night Mode on StandBy. This feature is not limited to the Pro iPhones, so the same standard should apply with the Apple Watch.
The Apple Watch Series 10 did get some trickle-down features from the Ultra such as a Depth gauge, Depth app, and even a water temperature sensor. Hopefully Apple continues with their trickle-down economics and gives us Night Mode for all Apple Watches, this time baked into watchOS instead of a particular watch.
*Wayfinder and Modular Ultra
Night Mode is a great feature that is limited to two watch faces* on the Apple Watch Ultra models, but it should be a feature available to all Apple Watches on more watch faces.
It arguably classifies as an Accessibility feature since many people would like to preserve their vision at night, and Night Mode is the best way to do it. Currently all iPhones starting with the iPhone XS and later support Night Mode on StandBy. This feature is not limited to the Pro iPhones, so the same standard should apply with the Apple Watch.
The Apple Watch Series 10 did get some trickle-down features from the Ultra such as a Depth gauge, Depth app, and even a water temperature sensor. Hopefully Apple continues with their trickle-down economics and gives us Night Mode for all Apple Watches, this time baked into watchOS instead of a particular watch.
*Wayfinder and Modular Ultra